She ruled the British Empirefor more than fifty years and was half of one of the greatest royal love stories.  Queen Victoria is a natural figure of interest for lovers of English royal history everywhere, myself included, and today is our day!  Britain’s Telegraph reports that Victoria’s private journals are being made available on-line–all 141 volumes of them.  Now that’s my kind of beach reading!  These journals have certainly rocketed to the top of my TBR pile.

For serious researchers, the journals can be searched by date or place of entry and some portion is already searchable by keyword (thanks to transcription).  The website showcasing the diaries also features supporting material—including timelines, essays onVictoria’s reign, and sketches inVictoria’s own hand.